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EID100- Digital Skills and Innovations

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Here is the final project for Daniel, Luis, and myself in a Pinterest board format. Come check out 22 exciting pins about online privacy/etiquette tips in regards to Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, Twitter, and LinkedIn for high school students!

TweetDeck has been around since 2008 but until recently has been absent from my methods of searching for data. As seen above, I decided to select two interests, cloud computing and technology, to portray the differences between TweetDeck and other forms of search engines. From analysis of the methods used to derive information from TweetDeck and then compared to other search engine methods, three concrete differences were indentified. To simplify the comparison, I will use Google to represent the search engine category.

1) Real-Time Information

TweetDeck and Google both produce a similar outcome, search results. But TweetDeck takes it a step further and allows users to establish columns with specific search parameters that provide these results in real-time. Users can consume large amounts information in a short time to stay current with popular trends, events, or news.

2) Relevant Information

By being able to produce information in real-time, TweetDeck can provide information that is relevant and current. On the other hand, Google can produce relevant information but my also include older or irrelevant information as well. For example, when searching up for smart phones on TweetDeck, you will find posts on trendy new smart phones, but on Google you may find current and older models in your search query.

3) Personalization

Both TweetDeck and Google offer forms of customization for their users but differ in the application of customization. Google customizes a search based on your location, preferences, and activities. However, in the end Google can only produce a search query whereas, TweetDeck allows for the user to input multiple search query columns unique to your tastes. These columns can be pinpointed to the exact specification that the end user desires.

TweetDeck is a fantastic search tool that has positive aspects that heavily outweigh any of the negative aspects associated with the platform. As a marketing enthusiast, I can see myself using this search tool in the future to support my company/brand and stay relevant with current trends in real-time.

Most individuals in today’s society are familiar with the notorious Internet cookie and understand its inner workings of tracking our movement on the World Wide Web. Before conducting this assignment, I was fairly sceptical of seeing any results from Lightbeam that were unordinary from my well structured background in technology and marketing. After 20 minutes of browsing the web, I was completely surprised, shocked, and intrigued at the results produced.

The results indicate that from the 18 websites visited, over 165 third party websites tracked my movements in various ways. For example, when I visited Tom’s Hardware to read about technology news, over 31 websites were connected to my movements in some form or way. Of these 31 websites, Facebook was the most prominent one. Furthermore, some websites that don’t even appear on Google were found on the list. High Speed Back Bone is an odd example of one of these websites.
These results are truly fascinating and allow me to view the array of companies that track browsing data to customize advertisements and web experiences for myself. But when does tracking go too far in the eyes of consumers or companies? This is where the never ending debate of privacy comes into discussion.
The free flow of information with little interactivity between consumers and companies has allowed products to be tailored to our best interests. The term interoperability is much of the reason why this has occurred. Our web browsers have very little restraints in place that allow high levels of interoperability or the ability to transfer information across multiple platforms to occur. Companies are able to collect information through Firefox, for example, and transfer it to their databases without technological constraints.
Now, interoperability is not the sole issue around this “cookie epidemic”, but rather a symptom of the main issue. The rules established for interoperability must be clearly defined at each layer to avoid free flow of information without consumer consent. This can either occur at a software level (Firefox) or a governmental level (digital laws and regulations) to ease breach of privacy. The most common form can be an “opt-out” option before browsing the web.
Lightbeam opened my eyes today on the severity of tracking cookies and the breach of privacy without any form of consent. This Lightbeam graph was only 20 minutes of my daily regime. Can you imagine what information they have collected over the last year? This is something we need to think about next time we log on to the World Wide Web.

A topic that has always fascinated me is how quickly technology upgrades and impacts our daily lives. Moores Law is a wonderful theory that highlights this quick expansion of technology. Every 18 months or every 2 years, the number of transistors on a integrated circuit will double. This allows for greater processing speeds and opens up a gateway for a plethora of different applications. Social media is a fine example of one of the many applications that have been created.

Social media can be thought of as carbon-copy or secondary persona of our characteristics. On these different outlets of social media, we can present ourselves through expressive posts and profiles. Now, we understand how to perform etiquette in our daily lives, but how do conduct our lives online in the best manner possible? Simply, through the adaptation of professionalism and humanity.

Professionalism

Remember, before you post that rant of how much you hate your boss on Twitter, think about the repercussions of your actions. Just like in real life, bad online actions can adversely affect your reputation amongst peers and colleagues. Examples of bad decisions can be seen here or in the picture above. Always maintain a form of professionalism in the sense that your actions are ethically and morally correct.

Humanity

When behind a computer, most of us forget we are conversing with other humans. This often spawns hateful words and actions that would else wise not be seen in our daily lives. Buzzfeed brings this to light with an article that portrays the issues of online inhumanity. We mustn’t forget that behind every Twitter or Facebook account, a person resides who has feelings like any other individual. So next time you post that hateful comment, have some humanity in your heart.